The owner of a popular model 'superstore' in High Wycombe said 'upset' customers ranging from two to 92-years-old have been a source of 'overwhelming' support following news of its closure.

Darryl Earle, the owner of Collectables R Us, a popular model shop in the Eden Shopping Centre, shared news of the branch's closure on Thursday, March 7.

He said the decision to close the doors on Collectables R Us' physical presence in High Wycombe had been precipitated by "increased rent and service charges, decreased customer spending and more and more shoplifting incidents".

Customers were reassured that the small business would continue to trade online and that an alternative site is actively being sought.

In a new, bittersweet update, Darryl and his co-owner Carol, took to social media today (March 10) to thank shoppers for their "wonderful" support.

They said that yesterday (March 9) had been their busiest trading day of the year so far - with an "overwhelming" number of people stopping by to share their sadness at the closure of the site.

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“We’ve had upset children, a gentleman that calls our shop his ‘happy place’ and all of our special needs customers who daily visit our store for a friendly chat, who are now on the brink of depression (at) the thought of us not being here.

"To all our customers, thank you for for support, kind words and offers of help this week." 

They added that some residents had expressed anger at "how we have been treated" and said they wanted to "hold a demonstration" to show their support. 

The independent business’s departure from the Eden Shopping Centre follows a series of other closures, most recently of popular toy shop Toys UK and fast fashion store Zara, with The Body Shop also set to close in just a few weeks.